Studies in Jainism

Author(s): Ramkrishna Mission Institute of Culture Culcutta
Publisher: Ramkrishna Mission Institute of Culture Culcutta

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STUDIES IN JAINISM
in Sūtrakṛtānga (I. ii. 1), since Mahana is considered as an honorific title.
Thus it will be seen that Jainism does not endorse the view taken by the so-called Sanatanists regarding the four vamas; consequently it does not reserve the highest stage30 of life viz. samnyāsa (dikṣā) for a special class like that of the Brāhmaṇas; but it considers persons of backward and even depressed classes eligible for it, thus keeping the entrance to final emancipation open for any and every mumuksu31 of any class whatsoever.
There is however a restriction regarding some of the human beings; for, 18 types of them are considered unfit for dikṣā. See Pravacanasāroddhāra (v. 790-791).
Six types of human beings-
According to Jainism all mundane living beings can be classified under four heads (1) human beings, (2) the celestial (devas), (3) the hellish (nārakas) and (4) the tiryacs.32 It may be noted that it is only the birth as a human being, which, when properly utilized leads to liberation. Thus, though the acquisition of birth as a human being is an essential preliminary to the attainment of final emancipation, yet it alone is not a sufficient means to reach the final goal.
30. Vidyaranya observes in Jivanmuktiviveka (ch. V):"शूद्रस्यापि संन्यासेऽधिकारः, वैराग्यस्याविशंषेत्वात् ।”
31. In Jainism, there is no hard and fast rule that an aspirant for liberation should successively pass through all the four stages of life, viz. (1) brahmacarya, (2) garhasthya, (3) vanaprastha and (4) samnyasa. For, the Jainas are chiefly divided into two orders: (1) the Agarins (house-holders) or practically desavirata and (2) the Anagara (those who have renounced the world) or sarvavirata. See Tattvärtha (VII, 14) and Aupapātikasutra (s. 57 p. 55). Nevertheless, we can divide even the life of a Jaina into four stages, if we were to look upon the stage of a Jaina house-holder practising padimās or a Siddhaputra as vānaprastha.
32. Under this head are included all those mundane living beings that do not come under any one of the first three heads. To express the idea positively beasts, birds, the vegetable and the mineral kingdom etc. go by the name of tiryac.